It's the end of the world as you know it – brought to you by a Gnome Mage with big balls of fire

Scrooge Mc Duck of Stormwind

Back when I started playing WoW getting the gold for your still training let alone your normal mount and let’s not even talk about your epic mount was something that sent shivers down peoples spines.

It was very common to get a loan from a slightly more affluent buddy and many guild banks were intended to help finance these big purchases.

Auctioneering wasn’t that common, it was some sort of arcane art. The gold limit was unknown, people just didn’t have enough gold to find out what arbitrary figure Blizzard had chosen.

These days (legal) gold making strategy sites are a dime a dozen and many such as Greedy Goblin have a huge following.

Gevlon hit the gold limit a long time ago and now uses his bottomless purse to buy his raid spot and fund his guilds needs.

Many people, Gevlon and myself included, have discussed the concept of “good enough” gear. That point where the gear is good enough, with the appropriate amount of skill (which doesn’t have to be that high) to perform well enough in any situation.

The same is the case with gold, yet it seems to have become the latest min/max grind.

Roll Inscription

Post Auctions

Profit

It’s Vegas folks, but not as we know it

People in this grind seem to be as caught in the game as if they were sitting at a table in Vegas.

Just one more roll

They hit 60k… Why not 100k.

They hit 100k, why not 150k.

They hit 150k…

Now I have to admit I don’t mind one way or the other. I did OK in TBC with my Auctioneering efforts, but it was always a means to an end.

I needed cash to support my Spellfire habit… AH

I needed cash to support my Enchanting habit… AH

I needed cash to support my recipe acquisition habit… AH

Needy or Greedy?

Prior to the WoLK release (and my 2 month absence from the game) I worked up about 20k gold, then stopped. I still have a pile of TBC enchanting mats, so I dare say it could have been significantly higher if necessary, but it wasn’t necessary.

6 months after my Northrend entrance I am still sitting on around 15k. There are a few things I could buy which would drain my bank balance pretty quickly, but they aren’t that special.

I don’t need a Mechano Hog

I don’t need the BiS tailored gear

I don’t need for anything…

I guess if I ground the AH I could have it all, but I’m not that greedy.

Spend it like you got it!

Likewise, unlike Gevlon I don’t feel the need to hit gold cap, while watching every penny. I know if I did hit gold cap, I would just go and blow it.

Not because I am careless with gold, but rather what’s the point of a mountain of gold that serves no purpose.

If I hit gold cap, I would stop grinding the AH. I would set all my mates up, I would set the guild up, hell, I would be throwing gold from the windows in every capital city.

Opportunity Cost

Most gold making sites will tell you that when perusing you AH career, extra cash that isn’t invested in more stock is dead money. It’s not earning you another cent, something along the line of opportunity cost.

Yet it seems that it’s perfectly normal to grind out a mountain of money and not spend it.

WTF?!?

If your bank balance is full, but your mates and fellow raiders are struggling to get the gear, mats and consumables they need, then that is the real opportunity cost.

Personally I am not all that hung up on the whole M&S stuff. I know what it’s like to be behind in the curve due to time constraints. I have been in the position where my mates helped me gear up in TBC by grinding out the tailoring mats.

Who did this really help?

Well, obviously it helped me, but IMHO I am not much on my own…

I did help the group as a whole though. They could have waited another few months for me to be geared enough for Kara, or they could help me and we all win… and win we all did!

Yes there will always be M&S. There is a good chance that the highly motivated raid leader is an “unemployed bum, living at home, hasn’t worked an honest day in their life, Mum still does their laundry kind of person” – but if they turn up on time to your raid ready to go you think they are a hero? Or maybe that person is a real life hero, that appears as a M&S in game because they wont sacrifice the real world just for the few pixels that will raise your opinion of them.

If you are ideologically opposed to just handing money out, then go make someone day… Actually, make the server’s day…

Buy out the AH!

It’s not the 1st time this has happened, but maybe you can do it just for the fun…

Level caps, Gold Caps, Golf Claps… Reroll poor!

After all, gold caps are like level caps… The only way to earn more experience or gold outside of an expansion is to reroll.

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16 Responses

I was sitting on about 12k when I quit with no desire whatsoever to spend it. I did buy a few things, some epic tailored gear for about 250g and a trinket for 600g but I didn’t feel the need to buy the Ulduar BoE stuff.

Nobody ever asked me for a loan (or a donation for that matter) but if it was for something useful I’m sure I would have lent the gold to a friend.

I am in a constant state of broke. I can’t seem to sit on more than 1000g after getting my epic flyer on Sprink. Now all of a sudden I’m randomly buying pets and mounts, playing sugarmomma to all my alts, and just not caring where my money goes.

But hey, as long as I’m having fun, right? And if I need a little extra cash, all I have to do is a round of dailies for a few days and I’m sitting pretty. ^_^

I don’t think I’ve spent more than about 1000 on vanity items since the end of TBC (got the Argent Tourney Chicken for Blood Elf pride), but I always seem to be able to spend the money on something. I doubt I’ll ever get the gold cap, because while making money is fun, I would probably burn out around 30k (if I had nothing to buy, waiting for the next patch).

after finally buying my epic flyer and the training for it, i’m poor again, but i’m slooowly building up gold through the AH. my eye is on the mammoth. after that? i’m sure blizzard will have come up with something by then that will tempt me.

I always have enough for what I need Food/flasks/enchants, and always enough saved to halfway getting what I want.
I wanted a Bike – I saved for it brought the mats when they were decent prices I planned for it, and now everyone assumes I’m rich. I didn’t need it but I thought it was worth the expense for its Uniquness. I wanted to be one of the only shadow p’s running round on a Shadow Bike.
I’ve been somewhat free and easy with friends that need start up loans – but then have lost that money – which bothers me less then the time spent helping them level toons/do quests that they give up on, and lose interest in, after i’ve spent a decent chunk of my playing time helping them achieve their goals – and to me time is more important then the money. I don’t care about the gold cap – and have no intention of reaching it, but as long as my money making gets me enough for what I need, then im happy.